Juan Soto, the highly regarded generational star of the San Diego Padres, could be dealt this off-season. As the Padres navigate their way through a financial crisis, Soto’s final year salary suddenly seems a mammoth ask. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees want to pounce on the opening before competition creeps in.
The New York Yankees need a left-hand bat, and landing Juan Soto is nothing short of a dream coming to life. However, nothing comes without a price, and Soto would come at a very heavy exchange. But for the sake of the future of the franchise, something will have to give. Thus, here is a potential trade offer, which is a win-win deal for both teams.
Yankees Must Put Prospects And Major Leaguers On Trade Offer For Juan Soto!
The San Diego Padres are not unfamiliar with the major league dynamics and understand the value they can extract in exchange for Juan Soto. Though the generational outfielder has only one year left on the contract, that won’t stop the Padres from putting a steep price. Recently, Josh Benjamin of ESNY shared a potential trade offer that could interest the Padres. According to his trade deal, the Yankees would receive OF Juan Soto, RHP Victor Lizarraga, RHP Sean Reynolds, and LHP Jagger Haynes. Whereas the Padres would get RHP Clarke Schmidt, LHP Nestor Cortes, OF Everson Pereira, RHP Chase Hampton, SS Trey Sweeney, and RHP Yoendrys Gomez.
One might argue that it’s a loss-making deal from the Yankee’s end, as three prospects of the franchise’s top 10 list are a part of this deal. However, it’s a risk the Bronx Bombers have to take to gain Juan Soto as a reward. Soto is their solution to 50% of the problems. Moreover, he is a generational star around whom the Yanks can build a full-fledged deal. He can arguably become the next Aaron Judge for the Yanks. Padres, meanwhile, want pitching upgrades and top prospects to protect the future of their franchise. With Schmidt and Cortes, they get finished products. As far as Pereira and Hampton are concerned, they, too, can debut in 2024 or early 2025. Overall, it’s up to the Bombers’ front office to pull the plug. Brian Cashman must channel the bottled-up aggression into making gutsy moves this off-season.
Padres GM Influenced At General Managers’ Meeting!
The recently held general manager’s meeting in Arizona could foil the New York Yankees’ blockbuster Juan Soto pursuit. As per several media reports, the Padres GM AJ Preller has been told by the other general managers to hold on to Soto till the 2024 mid-season trade deadline. They suggest that the outfielder could fetch more value during the deadline compared to the off-season.
Additionally, Preller opines that the Padres were as good as any other top-contending team in 2023. Thus, they want to test themselves again in 2024, and Juan Soto will likely be a big part of that alleged pursuit. If so happens, the Padres will decide against putting Soto on the trade block, which is a massive disaster awaiting the top suitors, the New York Yankees.
